In a gas turbine, engine air is mixed with fuel in a combustor. The combustor includes a combustion chamber in which the mixture of air and fuel is burned. Combustors are typically either cylindrical “can” combustors or are annular in shape. In an annular combustor, fuel is metered and injected into the combustor by multiple nozzles along with combustion air. The combustion air is swirled with the fuel via swirlers to create a relatively uniform mixture of air and fuel.
Uniformity is important in that if thorough mixing is not achieved, a non-uniform temperature variation of combustion products exiting the combustor will result. This, in turn, could potentially subject downstream turbine components to localized overheating. Such overheating could affect the durability of downstream turbine parts and could potentially decrease overall turbine efficiency and longevity. As will be readily appreciated, the more thorough the mixture of fuel and air, the lower the likelihood of localized overheating.
With the forgoing issues in mind, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a precision counter-swirl combustor that provides a level of temperature uniformity presently unknown in the art. In particular, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a precision forward-mounted counter-swirl combustor that employs air jets equipped with chutes, which allow for a degree of temperature uniformity presently unknown in the art.